UPDATE: Have some screenshots

Yes, Firaxis. Yes. YESSSSSSS!

Ahem.

Sorry about that, but as someone who's been waiting for a sequel to Alpha Centauri and a decent new Sci-Fi 4X game for years, Firaxis has just made my week. The veteran strategic studio has announced their next major project as Civilization: Beyond Earth, which is designed to take the classic turn-based eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation and eXtermination back into the wild black yonder.

We'll lead a pioneering team of colonists into space, terraform new worlds and eventually construct mighty spacefaring civilizations, with gameplay that Sid Meier describes as a spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri.

With XCOM under their belt, I'm fairly certain that Firaxis are somehow monitoring my dreams and making games based on the wildest fantasies they encounter. Either way, let us know what you make of the announcement and what you'd like to see from the 4X genre.

UPDATE: Here are three work-in-progress screenshots. Remember they're from an incredibly early build! Click to embiggen.